Towel cabinet



Feb. 21, 1933. 8. WHEELER, JR 1,398,983

. TOWEL CABINET Filed April 11, 1930 INVENTOR WKMM QJ F/E M EU MWM ATTORN EYS Patented Feb. 21, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SETH WHEELER, JR., ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OR TO A. P. W. PAPER 00., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK TOWEL CABINET Application filed April 11,

It is now customary to distribute paper towels and the like from cabinets from which the towels can be withdrawn at the bottom, one at a time. One of the difficulties with this arrangement is that the cabinets must be refilled quite frequently, for if they are made too high vertically, the pressure on the bottom is so great that when the cabinet is full the towels may be torn instead of coming out freely.

I have discovered that this difficulty can be readily overcome by making the cabinet with a bend in it so that the entire thrust of the stock is not on the bottom towel. This bend is preferably near the bottom of the stack, for there is then little danger of towels failing to reach the bottom for by the time the pressure on the upper towels is removed, the interlocking of the respective towels by the usual interfolds will draw the remainder toward the opening. However, one or more bends may be included in the middle portions of the stack.

This invention can be readily understood from the illustrative example shown in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a front view of a cabinet embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 is a side view thereof.

This cabinet is a rectangular box having a back 10 sides 12 and 14 and a front 16 which for most of its length is hinged so that the cabinet can be readily filled. The hinges are indicated at 18. Near the bottom the cabinet is curved toward the front and in the example shown this curvature is such that at its extreme bottom the edge of back 10 is approximately under front 16. The bottom end of the box is closed by members 20 and 22 which project slightly toward the slot 24 formed between them. Each of these members has formed in it a series of projections or detents 26 which may project inwardly about of an inch near the sides of the box and taper down to nothing at the opening. The corners of members 20 and 22 are 1930. Serial No. 443,652.

preferably cut away as shown in Fig. 1 to leave openings 28 so that the first towel may be readily picked up to start the delivery of the paper. A slot 30 is preferably formed in the front of the cabinet so that one may see when it is empty. In this example I also show at 32 a double bend or bulge formed in the middle portion of the stack by corrugating the back 10 and the front or door 16 and shaping the sides to fit these corrugations.

As shown in the drawing, the bottom curves, of the front and back of the box are not exactly concentric so that the box narrows slightly. This is advantageous but not essential, and the variation is so slight that I may term these curves as substantially concentric.

With the arrangement shown, a high stack of towels which as stated will be interfolded or interlocked may be inserted in the cabinet but their weight or thrust will principally be on the forwardly curved portion of back 10 at both bulge 32 and at the bottom, so there will be very little pressure on the towel that is in position to be withdrawn. There 7 is little danger of the towels sticking as the forwardly extending portions of back 10 are shaped with smooth curves so that the stack of towels will fan out at the bends with an increase of pressure at the sections 7 of shorter radius, and without any points being formed to catch the towels and separate them.

What I claim is:

1. A cabinet for paper towels or the like comprising a vertical box adapted to receive the towels in a stack and having a slot in the bottom through which the towels may be removed individually, two opposite sides of such box having curved portions which are substantially concentric at least one of which extends a substantial distance into the normal box area to receive a part of the thrust of the towels which are above such curved portion, while the other curved portion of longer radius extends outwardly a substantial distance from the normal box area whereby the stack of interfolded towels will fan out at the bend with an increase of pressure in the zone of the curved portion of shorter radius, thereby opening and separating the towels along the curved portion of longer radius.

2. A cabinet for interfolded paper towels or the like as per claim 1 and having its bottom portion substantially curved forward to carry a. part of the weight of the stack of towels whereby the lowest towel in the stack may be readil removed.

SE H WHEELER, JR. 

